Every 15 Minutes touches Whitney, Victory high schools

The California Highway Patrol, Auburn Area, in conjunction with Whitney and Victory high achools, conducted a simulated drunk-driving traffic crash as part of the 'Every 15 Minutes' program on Thursday, March 26. "The crash will be staged on Ranch View Drive near Whitney High School and will begin at approximately 10:30 a.m." said Andy Beasley, Police Captain. "The mock crash-scene will be active for approximately one hour, however, the roadway will be closed for several hours to allow for scene set-up and breakdown. During the mock crash, there will be a high concentration of emergency vehicles and personnel in the area. We would like to ensure the public is aware this is a STAGED EMERGENCY INCIDENT and no real emergency actually exists." "Every 15 Minutes" was developed in the early 1990s by the California Highway Patrol and was officially first presented in 1995. It was created to educate high school students on the dangers of drinking and driving, with the name stemming from the statistic that someone was injured or killed in an alcohol-related crash every 15 minutes at that time. This program has been adopted nationwide. "The Every 15 Minutes Program is a two-day event which demonstrates to high school students the impact driving under the influence has on families, friends and their community. The first day of the program is highlighted by a simulated traffic crash that will be conducted adjacent to the high school, involving an impaired teenage driver who causes a fatal traffic crash," Beasley said. "The emergency response to the crash scene includes representatives from the Rocklin Police Department, Rocklin Fire Department, CHP, American Medical Response, Placer County Sheriff's Office, Placer County District Attorney's Office and Placer County Law Enforcement Chaplaincy." The program would conclude with a mock funeral and assembly for students on Friday, March, 27. The program is conducted by the California Highway Patrol with support from the City of Rocklin, Rocklin Police Department, Rocklin Fire Department, Placer County Sheriff's Office, Placer County District Attorney's Office, Placer County Law Enforcement Chaplaincy, Heritage Oaks Memorial Chapel, Andrews Towing, Sutter Roseville Medical Center, Rocklin Unified School District and many other community partners and affiliates. Funding for the program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For more information and any questions or comments, call Mike Hamilton at 530-401-9910.